Nokia Files Apple Infringement Complaint with ITC

After months of infringement lawsuits and countersuits filed by Nokia and Apple, Nokia takes its case to the International Trade Commission. Nokia claims Apple is infringing on seven of its patents involving virtually all Apple iPhones, computers and iPods.

Nokia escalated its legal battle with Apple Dec. 29, filing a complaint with
the International Trade Commission claiming Apple's mobile phones, computers
and portable music players all infringe on Nokia patents. The ITC complaint
follows a Nokia patent infringement lawsuit against Apple earlier this year and
Apple's counter-lawsuit claiming Nokia is infringing on its patents.

In the ITC complaint, Nokia cites seven of its patents that are now being used
by Apple to create key features in Apple products in the area of user
interface, as well as camera, antenna and power management technologies.

"Nokia has been the leading developer of many key
technologies in small electronic devices," Paul Melin, Nokia's
general manager of patent licensing, said in a statement. "This action is
about protecting the results of such pioneering development. While our
litigation in Delaware is about Apple's attempt to free-ride on the back of Nokia
investment in wireless standards, the ITC case filed today is about Apple's
practice of building its business on Nokia's proprietary innovation."

Apple had no immediate comment about the ITC complaint.

In the Delaware infringement lawsuit, filed in October, Nokia
claims Apple is infringing on 10 Nokia patents related to technology making
devices that are compatible with one or more of the GSM, UMTS (3G WCDMA) and
wireless LAN standards. The patents cover
wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption.

Nokia claims much of this intellectual property has been declared essential to
industry standards and notes Nokia has already successfully entered into
license agreements involving the technology with approximately 40 companies,
including virtually all the leading mobile device vendors. Nokia began seeking
royalties from Apple in May.

When Apple refused to negotiate a royalty agreement, Nokia filed its lawsuit.
Apple replied in December in a countersuit claiming that Nokia is infringing 13
Apple patents.

"Other companies must compete with us by inventing their own technologies, not
just by stealing ours," Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel and senior vice
president, said in a Dec. 11 statement.